Hi!
I'm new to this forum and would love your advice as to what to do with this beautiful vintage Omega watch. I know it's out of style--even as a woman's watch--so I'm assuming that only a collector would want it...but that's why I'm here...to ask and learn.

The watch was given to my father by a Swiss business associate in either 1959 or 1960, while my family was living in France. He never wore it, but gave it to my mother who wore it as her dress watch until she died in 1983. I inherited the watch and began wearing it to work in the late 1980's. I started having problems with it, however, so a jeweler suggested that I replace the mechanical movement with a battery operated quartz one. He warned me that it would affect the value of the watch, so he saved all the original workings for me. (He must have replaced the dial as well, because the new one says "quartz" on it.) I have the original parts (even the hands), but I don't have the old crystal or dial.

I wore the watch for about twenty years, but then only occasionally after that. The last time I retrieved it from my jewelry box, I discovered the crown was missing! I found a site on line (www.OttoFrei.com) that sells Omega replacement crowns for model # 6634, but unfortunately, they are out of the solid gold crowns and do not expect to get more. The person I spoke to suggested that I either get a stainless crown and have it dipped in gold, or contact an Omega service center. I called the Omega service center in NYC and was told they could not get the part. He said I'd need to send the watch to NJ for a complete service. I don't see the point in doing that until I'm ready to sell it, and then at that point, I'd have the original mechanical parts re-installed.

Surprisingly, I found an identical watch listed on eBay in very poor non-working condition for $1,256.00.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mens-Vinta...Watch-w-14K-Yellow-Gold-Bracelet/232927078745Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

I contacted the seller and asked him if he'd be willing to sell me the crown. He said he'd try to negotiate that with the buyer if he sold it for scrap. (The watch weighs 42.9 grams without the dial and mechanical parts, so it has quite a bit of value, even if just sold as scrap gold at $23 per gram.)

1. My first question: should I hold on to the watch, hoping that it may come into fashion again and increase in value, or should I sell it? I am retired now and rarely wear gold jewelry. I know my sons wouldn't want it.

2. If I sell it, should I send it in to Omega, have them replace the quartz movement with the original mechanical one, service it and order a new crown? I'm just wondering how much the replacement dial (that says "quartz") would detract from its value.

3. Would the cost of repairing it be worthwhile? Could anyone guess how much the repair might cost or how much this watch might be worth?

3. If I decide to sell it as is, could another crown work, or would I have to get the exact model number replacement? (I'm assuming a jeweler wouldn't be able to get the part for me.)

Thanks for your help!

Lynette